In mammals, stem cells represent a category of cells capable of replication of themselves, with the capability to further differentiate to a cell capable of performing a specific function, for example a liver cell, neuron, leukocyte, etc. The key feature of those cells referred to as stem cells is the ability to self-renew or replicate more of themselves, with the pluripotential stem cells capable of differentiating into one of a number of terminally differentiated cells. It is believed that the role of stem cells is to replace those cells otherwise lost to death, disease or injury. That is, upon injury or disease, it is contemplated that the pluripotential stem cells otherwise present or near the site of injury or disease are capable of differentiating into a cell capable of replacing the diseased or injured cell(s).
Currently the art is directed to a multitude of aspects of stem cell research, one of which is to better understand and control the process of differentiation. Stem cells are observed to be present in nearly all tissues and organs of the body, in varying amounts. As well, stem cells are normally present in low amounts in the blood and lymphatic system of mammals, thereby presenting systemic access of stem cells in a mammal.
It is currently contemplated in the art that if one of the natural roles of a stem cell in a mammal is to replace those injured or diseased cells, introduction of stem cells to a tissue or organ that is suffering from disease or injury may enable the repair and/or otherwise implement the alleviation of the disease state. Yet, the isolation and later introduction of stem cells into a patient in need of treatment can be a complex and expensive process, with the potential for the introduced stem cells to be altered and affected by the isolation procedure. Therefore there exists a need to increase the presence of stem cells in a tissue or organ in need of treatment without resorting to isolation and introduction procedures.